Robin0203: Omg thank you so much! I do actually plan on updating Second Chances, about more the half done with the new chapter, should be up real soon! Thank you, your kind words make me smile!
Broken Twisted Lullabies: LOL right, just like casually doing simple things that would totally be out of his character just because he knows that no one would think he would do them! I had to do a lot of research for the other deities, they'll play a large part a little later! And Nico is always an awesome thing to add! Thank you so much!
You guys are all amazeballs but you all know that already!
Comments, reviews, and critiques are always welcome, flames cause need for fire extinguishers!
"The stupid neither forgive or forget; The naive forgive and forget; But the wise forgive but do not forget."
~~Thomas Szasz
Sam cleared his throat once, twice, maybe a third time. He was nervous having so many death deities in the same room as him, he had never expected this which was his mistake if he truly thought about it. Lucifer had retreated to the back of the room with Alex, there was something going on there that he was deciding to keep an eye on, still an ever threatening presence should anything go wrong.
They deities waited patiently for him to begin.
"So...Um..thank you all for coming"
There was a whisper of 'there was nothin else to do' in the back of the room and the younger generations of death giggled to each other but were quickly hushed by their guardians. Sam nodded nervously, turning to look back at Lucifer for a single moment whom merely rolled his eyes and waved him on. Alex was at his side, leaning against the wall, watching him silently.
At least he had one vote of confidence.
Turning back to the deities with a new found inner strength he was able to get this called for meeting started.
"We called you all here today because we need your help"
That got him a few nods, God this was getting awkward. A hand on his shoulder pulled him out of his nerves and silence. Encouraging him on. He didn't need to look behind him to know that it was Lucifer who had stepped forward (at Alex's urging) and had backed him up.
"There has been an increase in spiritual activity, ghost are running rampant everywhere-"
"And why is that?"
Hades voice was sickly sweet, dripping with deadly poison. His son had even backed his statement up by quirking his head to the side much like Cas did hen he was trying to understand something.
"Azrael has been taken out"
Now that had everyone's attention. Some sat straighter in their seats, the Incan and Aztec muttered something in their native language but the meaning was understood either way. Anubis's eyes grew wide, looking up at Osiris in confusion and worry. The elder deities looked at Sam though, questions alighting their faces at this point.
What did he mean that Azrael was out?
"What is wrong with him?"
Sam looked over at Osiris, stepping aside so that the death gods could get a look at the unconscious body of their seeming friend. Anubis's eyes widened slightly as he leaned forward. It sounded as if Hades even swallowed a gulp and Supay shifted in his seat.
"Azrael was attacked? By whom? We shall destroy them by the very atom!"
It was then that Lucifer stepped forward, his face hard, almost commanding as his voice echoed around the room.
"He was attacked by a Leviathan, you all know of them, they shall be taken care of accordingly to the actions that they have made, however, your task is to take over Azrael's duties until he is able to fulfill them once more."
That rose arguments. Some people slammed their hands on the table, others stood from their seats. All in all Lucifer was no on the list of their favorite person right at the moment.
"Who are you to tell us what we are to do?"
"If it was not for your kin then he would never have been put in this position!"
"The guardian of death's blood is on your hands, they are stained with it, why should we allow you to remain at his side?"
It was obvious that Azrael had told what had happened, then again the death deities had always been close to one another so it should not come as such a shock that the details of his banishment would have been brought to light.
"But where is his Papa? Should Death not have come when he felt his only child was in pain?"
That question from Anubis sent them all spiraling into their own minds. He should have come and yet he had not.
Thinking about it, when Father had found out what had really happened in accordance with his Hounds, that those few angels had decided it would be funny to take them and hide them from him for so long only to see him suffer their loss, he had been furious at not only those four but at himself. Azrael could have very well tried to tell him what had happened and he had refused to listen, Father had gone to earth in search of his youngest son, but had never returned.
And Death had been missing for as long as Father if not longer.
Something was going on here, something much much worse then simple Leviathan's and it was getting ready to implode right in their faces.
Anubis was getting restless, having to sit silently waiting for the adults to stop talking through their plan, he didn't know why he was called here too seeing as all he did was ferry souls after Death, the real big man in charge was Osiris. He scrubbed at his hair, messing with his ear, looking around the room once more.
Osiris was chewing the angel out for what they had done to Azrael.
He like Azrael, he was fun and always up for anything. A really good friend when it came down to it. It was upsetting that he was out for the count, he didn't deserve that. In fact, it was strange that he was still down for the count. They had gotten into plenty of things in the past decades, things that had sent them both to the infirmary wing of the Egyptian Pantheon. Never had he ever been out for this long.
It was strange.
Closing his eyes, he concentrated hard on his new task.
Lucifer watched, now out of the chewing plate as Sam had taken back over, as Anubis stared over at Azrael's prone body. He was thinking something and the fallen angel wasn't sure he was going to like what it was should he ever find out. The kid closed his eyes, concentrating on something.
His chain around his neck began to glow, gaining the attention of the others around the room. Osiris was shouting at the dog boy not to do it, but it was already too late.
Anubis looked around, it was dark here, cold even. Actually it was freezing in here where ever he was. There was a seat in front of him, someone with the whitest hair was seated in that chair, watching everything going on through a small portal in front of them. He snuck up behind them peering around the corner of the large old chair.
A scythe was placed at the others feet, his eyes gazing outward.
"Az?"
"Hey Anu!"
He walked around the front of the throne type thing. He knew something fishy was going on here.
"Your not healing."
Azrael nodded his head as if already knew this and Anubis had no doubts that he did know such things.
"Or would it proper to say, your not allowing yourself to heal?"
There was chaos, Anubis's eyes were glowing as were Azrael's. Osiris was trying to draw Anubis out but who ever was on the other end had a stronger hold on the dog boy then the other man could gain. Lucifer was leaning over Azrael his hand on his forehead trying to see what was wrong.
Sam watched as Hades and Nico both agreed to his plan, agreeing to take up the job that Azrael had until he was well again. The Incan and Aztec agreed, honor bound to help Azrael in any way they could, it was best not to get on Azrael's Father's bad side in disagreeing.
All four were gone, for the moment, in a blink. Hel was watching Lucifer struggling with awaking Azrael and Osiris yelling at Anubis to come back. She muttered under her breath, waving a hand and opening a portal of her own. Everyone was so wrapped up in seeing to Azrael and Anubis that they never noticed the man stepping out of her portal.
His eyes drawn to the two angels on the other side.
Azrael looked down, turning to look at his friend, his eyes drawn.
"Give them a chance Azz"
"They don't deserve it! Not after what they did!"
Anubis threw his hands up in the air in mild defeat. Azrael could be very stubborn if he wanted to be. There was a bit of a disturbance on the other side of the room, both turning to look at it, Azrael's eyes widening when his gaze met the whiskey gaze.
"I understand your still angry about that-"
"Angry? I hate them for it! They ruined my life and for what? Daddy's approval? Dads an asshat and they are too in extension!"
Taking a deep calming breath the Angel of Death turned to looked back out their portal. Anubis watched him carefully.
"What you being is not angry, is not spiteful, its cruel. Your brother has been here caring for you or at least your body for as long as he's been out of that cage, he could have run for it, but he didn't. He misses you, he feels terrible and if I can see that then surely you can too"
"Why should I care? He didn't feel those emotions when they did what they did, not, they didn't care!"
"How do you know that though? Azrael, your my friend, my best friend, but your being an ass by not allowing yourself to heal and making your brother watch you slowly fade. It takes more strength in a man to forgive for another's wrong doings then to hold it against them."
Azrael looked up at him with watery eyes. He did miss his big brothers, but the problem laid in the fact that he didn't know if he could forgive them.
Lucifer looked up in mild shock as two more hands joined his in trying to rouse the younger angel. Gabriel nodded at his older brother, neither speaking a word to the other. Nero was nervous, pacing back and forth under the table. Lucifer snapped at the Hound to stop but it merely growled back at him dangerously.
"He's not healing! Why isn't he healing!"
The panic in Gabriel's voice was felt by every on in the room. Nero's head shot upwards toward the door, barking out three times before falling into silence. Alex followed his gaze cautiously stepping towards the door. Reaching out for the handle with a shaking hand, she gently pulled it open. Lightning flashed in the sky, illuminating the body in the door, she screamed.
Lucifer's head shot up at the girl's scream, fearing it might be one of the leviathan, not that he thought they would do something as stupid as show up to a house where two known archangels were currently taking residents but then again they were in this problem because one had been stupid enough to jam a cane through the kids chest.
"He's not healing because he is not allowing himself to heal"
Alex stepped aside as the new man in the door way stepped forward, casting her a glance as he passed, following the Hound across the room to the other two panicking archangels and Azrael. Nero sniffed at Dante, yapping at him in familiarity. They watched from under the table as the three archangel gathered around the body on the table.
Gabriel and Lucifer looked up at their brother as he came up beside them, Raphael spared them as much of a glance as he spared Alex as he reached forward and placed a hand on the youth's chest.
"He is merely throwing a temper tantrum, enough is enough."
Azrael's eyes widened in sync with Anubis.
He felt weird, fuzzy almost, and it took him a moment to realize what exactly he was feeling. They had gotten Raphael!
That was cheating.
"Well, my friend, it does not look like you'll have much of choice now"
He glared at the Egyptian, "I always have a choice, they are not in charge of me!"
It was Anubis turn to roll his eyes,"Give them a chance! Honestly, ok, look, sometimes me and Osiris get into a tight spot, bad places, we've been to some very bad places, but at the end of the day I need him and he needs me, we even the other out, They'll always be there for you because that's what older siblings do! Hate does not get rid of Hate, it merely breeds resentment."
Azrael was staring at him, hard, his chest was glowing as the Healer had taken over his healing processes forcibly. He did not have a choice in the matter.
"And, Az, they kind of are in charge of you"
There was a moment of shock filled silence as Anubis's eyes widened and he fell backwards, Osiris caught him up before he could hit the floor.
Azrael's eyes began to fade, Anubis out of his head now, and they fluttered open. He looked up in surprise, mild cautiousness, at the three faces around him.
Gabriel smiled happily down at him, his eyes full of tears but happy tears.
He looked over, trying to get his brothers attention, why did he refuse to look at him? Gabriel's grip on his arm was as hard as celestial metal, keeping him grounded to the spot even as he screamed out in agony as his second and third wings were broken in half, three places each, they were merciful as if that word had any meaning now as they broke his wings cleanly, they would heal just fine.
He watched as his brother twitched every time he shouted his name, he flinched at his screams and turned farther away.
He should have felt something at this moment, but all he felt was betrayal.
Raphael looked agitated but he always looked that way. Only the ones who knew him well enough could see the shining light of thankfulness under the clouding agitation. His lips twitched slightly, a hand reaching up to his hair line, stopping as he flinched away from the contact.
He reached forward, running his hand through his hair in a semblance of comfort even as he tore the dagger into his skin, carving the large intricate rune in his back to bind him to his Hounds. The gesture that once offered so much comfort now only served to anger him. They would not get away with this! He swore by it!
They did not have the right to flinch at every scream he released, or every word he begged; no right at all.
This was a betrayal that cut deeper then any knife or dagger could.
Lucifer looked relieved, letting out a breath he had not known he was holding as he was able to gaze into his brothers eyes once more. He smoothed a hand over the youths hair softly, whispering something down at him in enochian. Azrael licked his lips as if preparing to speak.
'It'll be ok'
That's what he had uttered even as he and Michael grabbed a wing each and broke them in half, twice, ensuring that should he use them any time soon it would be a painful reminder of what he had lost. A hand smoothed itself over his hair as they finished their task, right before those same hands grabbed him under the arms and hauled him up.
Life ordered him to the gates and there he was drug, in chains, before he was shoved out of Life's grace.
They would all regret this.
"No! Get away from me! get away! I hate you! All of you! You ruined my life! You betrayed me! Get away! Abite! Recede a me! Dantes Nero auferenda, ut abstraherent eos de me!"
They all watched from varying positions in the room; Anubis and Osiris from the table in the other corner, Alex by the door, and Sam from the hallway entrance, and The three archangels from their spots above their youngest brother as he screamed out and the Hounds jumped up at their masters voice. They growled and barked, teeth bared and hackles raised as they stalked out from under the table and pushed the three archangel's back.
Dante jumped at Lucifer, aiming to take a chunk from his hand but the fallen angel jumped back just at the right moment. Nero stalked after Gabriel and Raphael, poisonous saliva dripping from his fangs almost as if he was daring them to try and defy him. They did as they were told though, forcing all three elder archangels away from the younger's side.
They watched from their various positions as Azreal slowly sat up, a hand scrubbing at his face, as he slowly turned himself to the side and his legs dangled over the edge of the kitchen table in Jody's kitchen. Anubis watched in part fascination and part dread as his scythe formed before him on the floor and he slowly slid off the table to fetch his weapon.
Azrael had never given Sam a reason to fear him, but as he stood looking into his eyes at this very moment, as his Hounds slowly returned to his side with saliva and poison dripping from their jaws, he knew his opinion on the matter was quickly coming to a turning point.
Out of all of them, Azrael was the one he should fear the most.
So? Will Azrael forgive his brothers? Will he give them a chance to get close again? Raphael and Gabriel are here guys! Where's Death? And Life (God) for that matter? Is Azrael going a bit darkside?
Stay tuned!
(Should have another chappie up today, later, but today because of my unexcused absence!)